Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained
by MizzyPlatinum
Summary: AU in which Lucy loses a writing contest but gains so much more. NaLu. OneShot. Fluff
_**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**_

 **HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY kanaehitomi! Sorry that this so late, Shio! I was gonna attempt to write sin, but i failed *sobs* So enjoy this random oneshot! And thanks for being the best salty demon butler chef out!**

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 **XOXOX**

It was the Annual Crocus Writing Contest, a contest Lucy was notoriously known for _losing_. Every year, for the past three years, she would work her butt off trying to win, only to lose to the same two girls every year.

The bitter side of her wanted to say it was rigged, but the professional side said she just wasn't good enough and that she would try harder next year.

Well it was next year and Lucy was _certain_ her piece would win, but she tried to ignore her certainty mainly because she didn't want to jinx herself. That was something she often struggled with. Was confidence key? Or was it better to assume the worse? A year ago, she would have opted for the former, but she was sick of it. Sick of getting her hopes up just to have it shoved back into her face at tenfold.

"Lu-chan," Levy said, practically squealing with excitement as she squeezed Lucy's hand with a death-tight grip, "You're going to win for sure this year! I can feel it!"

"M-Maybe." Lucy stammered, giving an awkwardly tight smile. _Don't get excited. Don't get excited. Don't get excited,_ she desperately willed to herself. She convinced herself to expect the worse, that way it wouldn't hurt so much if she did lose _again._

"Ughhh, these events are always sooo boringgg," Natsu groaned, taking his seat next to Lucy.

"You didn't have to come," Lucy said with a bit of venom. That was really the last thing she needed right now, _Natsu complaining_. Especially since his presence was the one she needed the most, considering she sort of had a _tiny—very tiny—crush_ on him.

"Of course I had to come," Natsu said, looking mildly insulted with his dark eyes narrowing. Like smoke clearing from a fire, Natsu's anger was gone, replaced by a boyish grin. "I wanna support you!"

Lucy's eyes widened in awe and she felt heat creep into her cheeks—especially when she saw Gray and Gajeel snickering in the background at them. She had a sneaking suspicion that they were very well aware of her crush on the boy.

"Besides," Natsu continued, "the free food makes it worth it!" Then he began stuffing his face with copious amounts of chicken. Lucy blanched, scooting away from Natsu's splash zone.

"Uck, can't you try to eat more civilized when we are in public?" Gray groaned.

"Nope." Natsu beamed, resuming his feast without even the slightest care in the world.

"Ooh they're announcing the winners!" Levy gushed, tapping Lucy's arm with burning excitement. To be honest, Lucy felt sick. She felt like she had Natsu's motion sickness, all dizzy and nauseous. And her heart was beating so fast, it made her wonder if she was going to faint.

"Second place goes to Flare Corona!"

Lucy gulped, watching a gorgeous red haired girl in a vibrant red dress walk up and onto the stage to graciously accept her trophy of a silver typewriter, a typewriter that Lucy desperately longed for.

 _Don't get your hopes up, Lucy._ And she really almost convinced herself that she didn't care if she won or not.

"Anddd the winner of this year's annual contest goes to…"

Except she was lying to herself and at the very last second with her fists clenched, she thought, _I want to win._

"Minerva Orland!"

The room roared with deafening applause and cheers, but for Lucy, it was like time had gone into slow motion. Her heart pace had decreased, beating so slowly, yet so loudly inside her ears that it _physically hurt._ Her breathing slowed to the point where it felt like it had stopped altogether. Her eyes were unblinking, forever frozen in pure, unadulterated shock.

She felt _broken._

"…I lost," she mumbled softly. The disbelief was still sinking in. Why did she even bother? Was it because she wasn't really known in the writing community? Was this all just a popularity contest? Minerva and Flare were always getting published in the papers and they seemed to win every year. And it wasn't a secret that those two had great connections…

Her hand's curled into fists.

It wasn't about talent. It was about _who you know_.

"I really thought you were going to win, Lu-chan," Levy cooed softly.

"Sorry, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said solemnly.

"Better luck next year," Gray murmured, patting Lucy's back and she stiffened. She didn't want their pity and she didn't want them looking at her with _that face._ It was a face that made her feel even worse than she actually felt. It was a face that made her feel shameful.

"Oi, Lucy—" Natsu started, but Lucy didn't want to hear it. _Not from him._ So she ran, like literally, bolted into a run without even so much of a backwards glance to see if they were following. She didn't care.

She didn't want to talk to them.

She wanted to be alone. Alone to drown in her sorrows with her stupid tears that were already staining her cheeks. When did she start crying anyway?

"Everything's just a popularity contest." Lucy sighed heavily, dropping to the floor of the hallway as she buried her face into her hands. She was done trying. Done writing. What was the point anymore?

"Oh c'mon! This is such bull shit!" she heard a boy scream. "Those stories all sucked ass! The one written by Lucy shoulda won hands down!"

"Natsu?" her breath caught. Quickly, she stood back up, peeking back into the room to see Natsu all red in the face with veins throbbing all over as he stood in front of the stage with his fist raised.

"Sir, please lower your voice and sit back down."

"No! Why the hell is it always the same people who win?!"

"It's just a coincidence—"

" _That's_ _bull and you know it!_ "

"Sir, we are going to have to ask you to leave."

"Not until you give Lucy a trophy!"

"Security!"

"You made Lucy cry," Natsu gritted, causing Lucy's heart to stutter.

"A lot of people cry when they lose, but we don't give trophies for crying." The judge's words were so cold that they stung Lucy right to the bone, making her flinch.

"Is that so?" Natsu asked darkly, sending nerve-wracking chills all over her body. _He was planning something, but what?_ Within an instant, Natsu hoisted himself up the stage and yanked the trophy from the judge's hand, grabbed the mic as well, "The real winner of this trophy goes to Natsu Dragneel! WAHAHAH!"

Then he dashed off the stage, making a beeline right towards Lucy with a devilish grin plastered on his face.

"S-Someone stop him!"

But no one made any moves to stop him as the boy sprinted out the door, making sure to grab Lucy in the process and from the distance, she could just make out Gray and Gajeel talking.

"What an idiot," Gray said with a hint of amusement on his face. "Giving out his name like that…"

"Ghihi, that's the Salamander for ya," Gajeel stated.

"N-Natsu," Lucy gasped as she stumbled to keep up. "Where are you taking me?"

He slammed them into an empty room that looked like someone's office. _We are so going to be in major trouble._ She shuddered. "Why are we in here?" Natsu peeped through a small glass window. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the coast to be clear," he said in hushed tones. "Doesn't look like they followed us. Yosh!"

"Why'd you have to drag me into your crazy scheme?" she whined. "Now I look like an accomplice! And why did you have to steal the trophy anyway?"

"Because I heard what that girl did," Natsu said. "Both girls actually. They bribed the judges. I didn't think they would actually take the bribe until I heard you lost…I could have stopped it…Sorry, Lucy."

"Doesn't mean I would have won still," Lucy murmured, swallowing the sudden rage burning inside her like a deadly inferno. _They won because of a bribe?_ The world really wasn't fair... "There were so many other entries."

"Who cares?" Natsu scoffed, placing the stolen trophy down on the messy office desk, accidentally knocking a huge tower of papers onto the floor. "Whoops…" He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and Lucy winced. They were so dead…

Natsu whirled back around and moved closer to Lucy, to the point where only a small gap hung between them. Natsu and personal space were two things that never mixed. She timidly squeaked, "S-So close."

"You're the winner in my eyes, Lucy," Natsu said with such a casual earnestness that Lucy _literally_ felt her heart melt. "That's why I stole the trophy for you." He risked getting in trouble for her. He went to the boring ceremony for her. He does so much for her.

And so, she couldn't help what happened next.

She seized Natsu's cheeks in her hands and roughly pulled him down, smashing his lips against her own.

Natsu let out a startled noise, but didn't pull back to Lucy's relief. In fact, he kissed her back with equal strength with his surprisingly plush lips. His soft bangs tickled her cheeks and his smell of sweat and campfires infiltrated her senses, making her thirst in way she never felt before.

She didn't feel sparks like most would describe a first kiss. Instead, she felt like she was kissing fire. It burned her from the inside out and she loved it in almost a masochistic kind of way.

And she loved him in romantic kind of way.

It was as simple as that.

Lucy pulled back and Natsu rested his slightly damp forehead against hers. His eyes were hooded with an expression she had never seen before, igniting small embers from deep within her heart. With her voice coming out in broken pants, she whispered, "Thank you."

She truly was thankful. Thankful to Natsu for always being there for her and thankful to herself for having the courage to enter every year no matter how many times she lost. If anything, it made her a better writer today and for that she was happy.

Plus, she would have never had the courage to kiss Natsu—which she was still pretty stunned about…

Natsu's cheeks, which were already flushed, darkened, making Lucy's stomach twist with sudden joy that she was responsible for that because Natsu _rarely_ blushes. Before he could respond, a voice interrupted. "Hey! Isn't that the guy who stole the trophy?"

Their eyes widened simultaneously as they both exclaimed, "RUN!"

"Aww you guys shouldn't have disturbed them," Levy whined, rubbing her eyes with disdain as Gray and Gajeel cackled at the sight of the pink and blonde running away together.

~ **The End~**

 **XOXOX**

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 **Thank you all for reading!**

 **Hope there weren't too many mistakes and that this made any sense hnngg**

 **Have a lovely day :)**


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